New downtown Lexington sushi bar readies for summer opening

Former San Franciscan Nick Lagagsorn is transforming a mundane former office space on North Mill into a chic and metropolitan sushi bar and restaurant, Buddha Lounge, expected to open by July.

After years of working in San Francisco’s restaurant industry, and a short foray into a career in web graphic design, Lagagsorn was ready to engage his passion for food by launching his own restaurant business. But San Francisco’s restaurant scene was saturated, and with two daughters younger than 6, he and his family were looking for a change of pace. His longtime friend Nat Yuttayong, owner of Nat’s Thai Restaurant on South Upper Street, suggested he take a look at Lexington.

After visiting the city last spring, Lagagsorn was sold. Within the growing local restaurant scene, he saw a niche for himself in a creative, Asian-inspired cuisine that would give sushi and tapas the spotlight, but still offer a well-rounded menu to satisfy a variety of Kentucky palates.

“We want to make sure we have something for everybody,” Lagagsorn said.

Lagagsorn was most excited by the transformation he saw taking place downtown, he said, and he wanted to be in the center of it. Buddha Lounge will be the newest eatery to join the upswing of restaurants that have been popping up on the west side of downtown in recent years. The roughly 2,500-square-foot location he found at 109 North Mill, between Main and Short streets, was well-positioned, but the dreary, windowless interior required a complete overhaul, he said. He hired Rebecca Burnworth as the architect on the project, and her husband, Eric Burnworth of Burnworth Builds, as project manager.

When completed, the renovated space, with seating for roughly 85, will have an elegant and chic metropolitan feel, Lagagsorn said. Aging plaster has been cleared to expose the building’s extensive brickwork, and a walnut full bar and natural wood seating will emphasize the more earthy elements of the restaurant’s design. Instead of the typically spartan, traditional sushi bar seating, Buddha Lounge’s sushi bar will be open to an expansive row of more inviting banquette seating down the center of the restaurant, Rebecca Burnworth said. A more intimate lounge in the front room with comfortable low seating and a fireplace will round out the experience.

Although Lagagsorn is still working out the particulars, he expects Buddha Lounge to be open for lunch and dinner, with happy-hour specials and late-night hours on the weekends. He said he feels like he’s picked the perfect time for his transition to the Bluegrass, and he expects the current downtown momentum to keep building.

“Now’s the time to be downtown, and it’s only going to get better,” Lagagsorn said. “Five years from now, you might not be able to get a place down here.”